VIDEO - Ever Wondered What…?
Ever wonder what soldiers do over in Iraq when not being attacked by insurgents? Well, here is an extremely funny video with two white guys rappin’ about their experiences in the war. I am glad they are keeping themselves sane even though their dire situation. With no more further ado, here is Lazy Ramadi by Matt Wright and Josh Dobbs.
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Ernest Hemingway called them at home during the war the Fifth Column, the enemy within. I’m talking home sabotage during war, during this war.
When I worked at the quartermaster in Philly during the Vietnam War where we dealt with food, clothing and medical supplies, early in 1972, heavy in June of 1972. Civil Service employees who did not care for Nixon and hated the war would pull self-slow-workage stunts that hastened defeat in Vietnam. You could closely compare them to today’s suicide bombers who act alone and kill so many but at a great distance with one single misaction.
In 1972 at the Philadelphia quartermasters of the Department of Defense, control boards would suddenly have vital wires switched wrong-way for the Digitek machines (OMR readers), OCR readers would have their mirrors knocked aslant. Large reel-to-reel computer data tapes, deliberately twisted and stretched so as to require, after say an 8-hour run to crash and then needed to be rerun from scratch (even pulling hard copy on input cards in long tray tables from warehouses there.) That meant no vital shipments of life-healing drugs could be shipped for eight hours until the computer program was run successfully.
I think you get the idea of what was happening in 1972 with the war effort at home. That South Philly facility did not deal with munitions but clothing, food for fighting soldiers and medical supplies for the wounded — now deprived of help because of self-well-meaning saboteurs, and because of home sabotage, the soldiers consequently dying.
At times today when I hear bits of news coming from Iraq of shortages and lack of equipment and faulty equipment I swear the same thing is happening. It is too close to things-will-go-wrong to prove. An undercover FBI agent taking a cover job back then in Computer Data Systems was found out by everyone within an hour.
I believe there is only one appeal to be made. You, mister or mistress civilian, are permanently handicapping or killing the boy/girl down the street, the one that graduated from h.s. with you. In a civilian pledge you swore to defend this country, your country. Instead of having a good private laugh after your foul deed, and, most important, if you cannot honestly carry out the duties described in your job description, the one you read when you applied for the job, then resign. You can still fight against the Iraq war in a gentlemen’s way by going to a demonstration, rioting, beating up some cops and getting arrested.
Like most Americans, I am strongly against this ‘Attack Pearl Harbor’ kind of war in Iraq, but I don’t think I could live with myself knowing I was bringing death in a endgame way to a fellow American service woman or man. But I can see your point in not resigning; Your GS-5, GS-7, maybe even GS-11, step 5 salary is paying your mortgage, two car payments, kid in college. Well, keep saying your I’m-doing-these-bad-things-for-my-country mantra; and keep in your subconscious mind that one can always do ‘nice’ things with blood money!
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Thank you Stan for this comment. You have offered us a very revealing and poignant peek inside what can go wrong in a war without personal commitment. It is amazing to me that contemporary Presidents think that they can wage war without the support of the American people.
I was looking through my parents’ family album and came across an old War Ration Book from World War II with some coupons still in it. On the back of the coupon book it says:
“Rationing is a vital part of your country’s war effort. Any attempt to violate the rules, is an effort to deny someone his share and will create hardship and help the enemy. Give your whole support to rationing and thereby conserve our vital goods. Be guided by the rule: “If you don’t need it, DON’T BUY IT.”
During World War I and II, everyone sacrificed and what was more important is that we had leaders who not only lead us to war for justifiable causes but made sure that we all understood why. In understanding why and securing our commitment, we all sacrificed something. Today, we all just go about our merry way while thousands of others are being sacrificed. It’s just all wrong. Not only do we have a war that’s not justified, we have a President who covers up the sacrifice and cost in lives and treasure. Former presidents in the world wars, made sure everyone understood the necessity and sacrifice and thusly we pledged our commitment.
Yes, they can invade another country and occupy it but not for long. The tide will change in Iraq just as it did in Vietnam. The will of the people here and over there will prevail and thousands will have died…for nothing.
Great comment Stan.
Hey Unum, Thanks for the kind compliment. You want a head-spin? Then google ‘dry-drunk’ which I called Bush in our last one-word contest.
Home Sabotage, Kilgore? This is it. Do it!
Whoa! I didn’t mean do it (sabotage). I had IT — the sex act — in mind. Whoops!
Kilgore, is home sabotage during a war considered treason? During our own revolution, General G. Washington thought so, and countless Tories who committed sabotage were put against the wall and shot, on the spot sometimes. Are the civilians I described in my comment traitors as well, deserving a caught traitor’s fate too? I’m not talking about civilians arrested, accused because Bush has a problem with a buzz in his ear. I mean, like some civilian government worker caught slowing the flow of info requests by shredding a few documents. He’s a hero to himself and like-kind for misacting to close out the Iraq war, but to the military and their dead, he is a…. Kilroy, you are older Than I and what do you know about civilian traitors during W.W.II. Not the Japanese interned in camps in the desert — that was fear stuff, but real out-and-out civilian saboteurs. Any instances you were close to? And, more important, at least to me, what did you think of my comment?
Say, Cerebral, as requested I sent you my photo in an e-mail attachment for my profile. I think it would be best for me if you did NOT use it. Thank you, and I owe you one.
Kilgore, The Home Sabotage comment you asked about, I’ve brought up front again in case you missed it in the wee-wee hours today.
Help Question. There’s been bad action in Ramadi. Can anyone tell me if Matt Wright and Josh Dobbs made it home and if Dobbs is still eating jello? I hope these talented guys aren’t career soldiers!
Now that you say that, I am curious as well what these guys are now doing. I don’t know but I will see if I can find something out.
Say, Cerebral, I hope you can find out what’s with these guys. I don’t know anyone in the Armed Services and I have kind of adopted these wonderful human guys. Know what I mean? I’m sure they have family and we all pray they’re okay.
Well, Stan and the rest, I am sure you would be glad to hear that Matt and Josh are at home with their families as of Nov. 2006. No more Ramadi for the Middle East military rappers. Thank God.
Thank God is right! Those guys should make day trips to Hollywood and pitch some of those 3-5 minutes spiels to film makers for film story ideas. They’ve got imaginations. I recognize it when I see it. Ounce for ounce, an ounce of imagination is better than an ounce of logical brain wiring.